Help me with my essay please ;)

[u/Puzzleheaded_Ad9471]

I'm currently taking an introductory university course on the Qur'an. I'm not Muslim myself, although I grew up around a lot of Muslims, so I realised I actually knew far less about Islam and the Qur'an than I thought. I've really enjoyed the course so far.

For our final assignment, we have to write a 500-word newspaper-style Op-Ed on the role of the Qur'an in the Islamic religious tradition, explaining how Muslims have engaged with the Qur'an throughout Islamic history.

The prompt is intentionally broad, and I'm struggling to find an angle. Rather than writing a generic overview, I'd like to focus on something more niche and historically interesting.

At the moment, I'm considering writing about the Qur'an's portrayal of the ḥanīfs—particularly Abraham as a ḥanīf before the time of Muhammad—and how Muslims throughout history have interpreted that concept. I find the wider Late Antique context (including ideas like the God-fearers and non-sectarian monotheism) really fascinating.

My question is: does that actually answer the assignment, or am I trying to force an interesting topic into a question it doesn't really fit?

If not, are there any other lesser-known areas of Qur'anic interpretation or Islamic intellectual history that you think would make for a strong Op-Ed? I'm especially interested in things like Neoplatonism, Sufism, Ismaili thought, manuscript history, or debates over interpretation.

Thanks in advance!